Q: I must be missing something. I work in Milwaukie and drive through exit 14 on Interstate 205 everyday. I see the new overpass work and heard about how will it connect I-205 at the Milwaukie Expressway to Southeast 122nd Avenue. How exactly will it connect to the 205? Will I be able to get on it directly from the 205?

A: Don't feel bad: I don't get a lot – a lot! -- of things in life.

Justin Bieber being called a "musician." The popularity of the PT Cruiser. Why Tampa Bay has a major league baseball team but Portland doesn't.

From I-205, you're only seeing a tiny piece of a massive $120 million project that includes construction of the Portland area's first new highway in 30 years. Work on that road is happening -- largely out of sight -- near Camp Withycombe, a couple miles to the east.

For decades, the fast-growing Clackamas Industrial Area, one of the state's busiest freight distribution centers, has been a traffic headache looking for an extra-strength Tylenol. Major employers in the area include distribution centers for Safeway and Fred Meyer, which see hundreds of trucks come and go every day.

On any given day, the Interstate 205 interchange for Oregon 224 and 212 is a parking lot where commuters go bumper to bumper with big trucks trying to get to the warehouses. As a result, 212 and 224 often slow to single-digit speeds during rush hour, with the gridlock bleeding onto I-205.

"What this project starts to do is make more logical connections," said Nathan Potter, the Oregon Department of Transportation's project manager.

What you see going up on your daily commute is a freeway crossing directly linking Southeast 82nd Avenue to 82nd Drive, two of Clackamas' busiest thoroughfares. That will eliminate the need for drivers to hop on southbound I-205 and use the Oregon 224/212 interchange.

Meanwhile, the two miles of new highway will be an east-west mainline extension of the Milwaukie Expressway from I-205 to Oregon 212 at 122nd Avenue that will vary from two to four lanes. Potter said the new highway -- which broke ground last summer is moving slowly west from 122nd Avenue -- will provide a crucial relief valve that untangle freight traffic while increasing economic development.

"This project relieves congestion by about 20,000 cars per day and helps the freight community gain easier access to north and south 205," Potter said.

Of course, with the expansion of the urban growth boundary to include the Damascus area, ODOT would like to extend the new corridor to Rock Creek Junction and further east to U.S. 26 -- and then call it the "Sunriset Highway."

But at least the first phase is becoming a reality. It's set to open in mid-2016. On Thursday, Potter took me past the construction barricades off Oregon 212, where crews were using heavy equipment to level a wide swatch of rock and dirt. The rough outline is in place. On the eastern horizon, Mount Hood provided a snow-white compass needle.

To the west, the corridor will eventually have on- and off-ramps at I-205. And yes, you'll be able to use them.

Q: This morning, I was riding MAX to the airport, when I saw smoke out of the corner of my eye. The guy in the next seat was puffing away on an e-cigarette. I looked at him and he just kept smoking. I saw the same thing on a No. 12 bus a couple days ago. Why doesn't TriMet ban e-cigarettes on its vehicles?

A: Actually, e-cigs have been prohibited on TriMet property – vehicles and stops – since 2011.

For the unitinitiated: E-cigarettes are barely regulated devices that vaporize concentrated, nicotine-laced liquid and stimulate the sensation of smoking. They even have dorky LED lights to give the appearance of a real ciggie.

Although "vaping" doesn't produce the skank and poisonous second-hand smoke of traditional coffin nails, there are plenty of concerns about the unknown second-hand health effects of the vapor being exhaled by users.

Roberta Altstadt, a TriMet spokeswoman, said the agency's ban "was spurred by questions and comments from riders and staff about the use of e-cigarettes."

Following the lead of other transit agencies and the airlines, TriMet enacted the ban and a $175 fine for violating it. (Of course, it's still legal to bring a "Guide horse" onto a bus or train.)

Of course, as the popularity of e-cigarettes grows, I think TriMet would be smart to educate riders that they are banned. Maybe the agency could start a poster campaign or play an audible public service announcement for riders.